Biology:Thick finger coral

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Short description: Species of coral

Thick finger coral
Porites duerdeni.gif
Scientific classification edit
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Cnidaria
Class: Hexacorallia
Order: Scleractinia
Family: Poritidae
Genus: Porites
Species:
P. duerdeni
Binomial name
Porites duerdeni
Vaughan, 1907[1]

Porites duerdeni, also called thick or knobby finger coral, is a coral in the family Poritidae, representing stoney corals, and is endemic to Hawai'i.[2]

Distribution and habitat

Porites duerdeni is an extremely rare species of colonial reef building finger coral found almost exclusively in Kāne‘ohe Bay, O’ahu.[3] It can be most abundantly found in shallow waters typically ranging from depths of 3–6 ft [4] but can also be found at greater depths that still receive significant sunlight.

Description

Porites duerdeni is a colonial coral and is typically light brown, cream, yellowish, or light green in color with short knub/spherical like branches.[5] Porites duerdeni can be distinctly identified from closely related species by their septa composed of inwardly inclined trabeculae.[4]

Growth

Porites duerdeni growth averages 1–2 cm a year.[6]

Conservation

Porites duerdeni faced severe impacts due to bleaching events in 2015 and 2016, however a small team from the DLNR Division of Aquatic Resources has been working to curb extinction by planting nursery grown P. duerdeni on the reefs of Kāne‘ohe Bay, O’ahu.[7] Porites duerdeni is much more susceptible to coral bleaching than common and dominate corals found in Hawai'i.[8]

References

  1. van der Land, Jacob (2013). "Porites duerdeni Vaughan, 1907". WoRMS. World Register of Marine Species. http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=411269. 
  2. "Knobby Finger Coral, Porites duerdeni". https://www.marinelifephotography.com/corals/lobe/porites-duerdeni.htm. 
  3. "Marine Invertebrates - All Stoney Corals". October 1, 2015. https://dlnr.hawaii.gov/wildlife/files/2019/03/SWAP-2015-Stony-Corals-Final.pdf. 
  4. 4.0 4.1 Vaughan, Thomas Wayland (1907). "Recent Madreporaria of the Hawaiian Islands and Laysan" (in en). Bulletin of the United States National Museum (59): i–427. doi:10.5479/si.03629236.59.i. https://repository.si.edu/handle/10088/10230. Retrieved 2023-04-16. 
  5. Fenner, Douglas (2005). Corals of Hawai'i: field guide to the hard, black, and soft corals of Hawai'i and the northwest Hawaiian Islands, including Midway. Honolulu, Hawai'i: Mutual Pub. ISBN 1-56647-673-9. OCLC 60814867. https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/60814867. Retrieved 2023-04-16. 
  6. "Hawai‘i Coral Restoration Nursery" (in en). https://dlnr.hawaii.gov/coralreefs/hawaii-coral-restoration-nursery/. 
  7. "Rare Corals Planted During Coralpalooza". https://mauinow.com/2019/06/09/rare-corals-planted-during-coralpalooza/. 
  8. Morgan, Winston; Couch, Courtney S.; Brittany, Huntington; Vargas-Ángel, Bernardo; Suka, Rhonda R.; Thomas, Oliver; Ariel, Halperin; Gray, Andrew Elisha et al. (2020). "Preliminary Results of Patterns of 2019 Thermal Stress and Coral Bleaching Across the Hawaiian Archipelago" (in en). Series: Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center administrative report H; 20-04. doi:10.25923/8pqg-tq06. https://doi.org/10.25923/8pqg-tq06. Retrieved 2023-04-16. 

Wikidata ☰ Q14158920 entry